My Wallet AND My Grocery Bags

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Last Saturday when I went grocery shopping, something remarkable happened... I remembered to bring both my wallet and my grocery bags!  For some reason, that hadn't been the case on my previous three trips to the grocery store.  The first one was the worst.  I was standing in line with a full cart when I realized that I didn't bring my wallet.  Thankfully I live very close to the store and just left my cart off to the side, went home to pick up my wallet, and returned to pay.  The second time wasn't that big of a deal.  As I walked into the grocery store, I realized I wasn't carrying my grocery bags, even though I remembered getting them from my kitchen.  I ended up just paying for plastic bags which I used for garbage bags and found my re-useable bags sitting by my back door when I returned home.  The last time, it was when I was in the parking lot just about to get out of my car that I realized I didn't have my wallet so I went home to get it and came back to shop.  Finally on Saturday I managed to figure it out and not leave the drive way until I had both with me.

Why am I telling you this?  Why is this the blog I am writing after 10 months of silence during this time of the pandemic?  I don't really know but I have some theories.  

1.  My life is pretty simple and non-eventful.  This constitutes an event for me and I wanted to share it with someone so I picked you!

2. It points to something about the time we are living in as we face the limitations and anxieties of the pandemic: I am not "on top" of my game.  Maybe another way to say this is that this has been a humbling time for me - facing my stress about the virus, realizing how much I like to cocoon at home, and more consciously trying to trust God in all things.  Humility is a good thing and I want to keep embracing it.

3. Writing the story down helped me see something.  Do you notice how as each step in the story, I am able to notice that I don't have either my wallet or bags sooner?  First it was when I was lining up to pay.  Then is was as I was walking into the store.  Finally it was when I was in the parking lot still in my car.  I didn't realize that until just now as I typed it out!  This gives me hope.  Those things that we keep repeating and repeating that bother us or even throw us off track in our relationship with God or others... maybe we aren't always repeating them the exact same way.  Maybe there is a pattern of learning.  A long, slow process but one of progress nevertheless that we can keep trusting God with.  Thankfully we have a Lord who is patient.  As Scripture says, "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."  (Psalm 103:8).  

My prayer for us all is that God would grant us grace to face whatever we need to with help from Him.  May He empower us to be gracious, humble people confident in His unfailing love.

peace and grace in Christ,

Tracy

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